The Turkey Briefing: Erdogan basks in the global limelight
In this weekly newsletter, Amberin Zaman rounds up the biggest Turkey stories from the region.
Turkey's president had a diplomatic field day this week as Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson assured his Turkish hosts during a two-day charm offensive in Ankara that he was determined to assist Turkey in its fight against the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). Kristersson’s body language during a joint news conference with the Turkish President oozed reverence as he smiled nervously before the cameras.
None of this was enough to convince Erdogan that Sweden had done all of its homework, as I reported. Swedish media ripped into Kristersson for his “capitulation” while members of the country’s ethnic Kurdish community screamed betrayal. You can tune into my podcast with one of Sweden’s top Turkey experts, Paul Levin, for more background on this story.
Erdogan continued to bask in global limelight at the summit for the Organization of Turkic States, a lovefest for fellow autocrats from the former Soviet space, that was held today in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Unsurprisingly, energy was a key topic that was addressed at the gathering, with many member countries sitting on vast reserves of oil and natural gas and Turkey aspiring to enhance its position as the premier energy hub linking the broader region to Europe. Russia’s Vladimir Putin is a big fan of this idea....
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